De Valera met with Lloyd George four times—July 14, 15, 18, and 21.
All four discussions took place at No. 10 Downing Street, and the prime
minister conducted the opening discussion with great showmanship,
greeting de Valera warmly as a brother Celt and using all his charm and
eloquence to win over the cautious and formal Sinn Feiner. Describing
the evolution of the British Empire, Lloyd George said that its representatives were presently meeting on equal terms in an Imperial Conference, and a place in those deliberations was reserved for Ireland. When
de Valera did not respond, the prime minister resorted to menace, warning that if the conference failed, the situation would become much more
terrible than before the truce. De Valera accused him of threatening
coercion, but Lloyd George replied that he was simply predicting what
must happen if no settlement were reached. He also made clear that
there could be no question of recognizing an Irish Republic. After the
interview ended, Lloyd George believed that progress had been made
toward an understanding.
1

At their second meeting, the prime minister found de Valera a trifle
more rigid and attributed this to consultation with his colleagues. The
Irish president continued to press for an independent but associated
Republic, but Lloyd George reiterated that Britain would never agree to
this. In the interval between the second and third meetings, Lloyd
George saw Craig but made no headway toward securing Irish unity.
Smuts, meanwhile, tried to impress on de Valera the seriousness of the
Ulster problem for the British government, but de Valera thought the
British were using Ulster solely to frighten him.
2

When the two leaders met again, the prime minister offered an outline
of peace terms, which de Valera criticized as inadequate, emphasizing
Sinn Fein's demand for a united Ireland. Lloyd George warned that
attempts to force Ulster into an Irish state could lead to a civil war which
would involve the whole Empire. De Valera maintained that the South
would never allow itself to become involved in civil war; it would rather
let Ulster alone. Lloyd George countered by asking why Sinn Fein would
not leave Ulster alone now. Eventually, de Valera said he must consult
his Cabinet about the British proposals, and Lloyd George agreed to
send him a draft of the terms before their next meeting.
3

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